The present invention relates to a grinding device for the machining, including facing, of resilient or semi-resilient materials.
Two maching techniques based on grinding wheels are known: the so-called "scanning" technique in which a grinding wheel, the width of which is less than the length of the workpiece to be machined, "scans" said workpiece by being moved in front of it at the desired distance, and the so-called "in-feed" technique in which the workpiece to be machined is cut by a grinding wheel, the width of which is at least equal to the length of this workpiece, so as to machine the latter without having to move it sideways.
Each of these techniques possesses advantages and disadvantages.
The "scanning" technique has the double advantage over the "in-feed" technique that it enables smaller grinding wheels to be used and that it allows workpieces made of resilient or semi-resilient materials to be machined.
In the "in-feed" technique, the relative movement between grinding wheel and workpiece being machined is radial in relation to the latter, and, if the workpiece is made of a material which is that bit resilient, surface compression inevitably occurs which prevents having complete control not only over the correct dimensioning of the workpiece, but also over its final surface condition. In addition, in the case of somewhat long workpieces, the pressure exerted by the grinding wheel always causes the workpiece to bend, to a greater or lesser degree, during machining and the result of this bending is to give the finished workpiece, to a greater or lesser extent, an undesirable crown.
This is why, for machining workpieces made of resilient or semi-resilient materials, the "scanning" technique is used.
However, the latter has, compared with the "in-feed" technique, the disadvantage of requiring a longer time insofar as it is absolutely necessary that the grinding wheel "scans" the entire length of the workpieces to be machined.
This drawback may certainly be overcome to a certain degree by increasing the number of machining machines supervised by a given person. However, this means an additional investment running the risk, ultimately, of canceling out any economic benefit from this increase in production.